News/Benelux
Scottish Equity Partners hires Malcolm Thoms
Scottish Equity Partners has appointed Malcolm Thoms to its advisory board where he will bring knowledge from the energy sector.
AAC reaps 3.8x return on TGI Friday's UK exit
AAC Capital Partners has sold is 60% stake in restaurant chain TGI Friday's UK to Carlson, at an enterprise value of £60m.
Trilantic exit MW Brands in trade sale worth £566m
Trilantic Capital Partners has agreed to sell MW Brands to Thai Union Frozen Products in a deal worth £566m.
Report sparks debate over ‘disappointing’ returns
The debate over the ability of private equity funds to outperform public markets has been reignited, following claims by the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation (CSFI) think tank. The CSFI says leverage buyouts produce ‘disappointing’ returns,...
Permira acquires eDreams from TA Associates
Permira has acquired a majority stake in the Spanish online travel agent eDreams in a deal valued between €250-300m.
YFM Private Equity et al. invest £1.1m in B2 Group
YFM Private Equity has invested £1.1m in marketing agency B2 Group, along with management and private investors.
Firms will not pay too much despite pressure on funds
Half of private equity professionals say they are under pressure to deploy funds, but say they will not acquire assets at multiples higher than the industry average, according to Grant Thornton.
FSI et al. invest €40m in Cerenis Therapeutics
The Fund for Strategic Investment (FSI) and existing investors have provided French biopharma Cerenis Therapeutics with a €40m series-C round of funding.
Riverside acquires Celvitae to boost Crioestaminal
The Riverside Company has acquired Spanish private cord blood bank Celvitae Biomédica S.A. which will join its portfolio company Crioestaminal.
FourWinds Capital Management provide £14m for Monsal
FourWinds Capital Management has provided £14m of expansion capital for digestion technology business Monsal.
Demeter et al. inject €4.5m in Semco Engineering
Demeter Partners and Soridec have invested €4.5m in French alternative energy specialist Semco Engineering.
Benelux still behind rest of Europe
Activity in the Benelux region decreased sharply in Q2 2010, making it once again the smallest market in Europe for private equity investments.
European buyout value quadruples in 2010
The value of European buyouts has quadrupled in the first half of 2010, according to the latest unquote” Private Equity Barometer.
Lion Capital to acquire Picard Surgelés for €1.5bn
Lion Capital is set to acquire frozen food retailer Picard Surgelés from BC Partners, according to Les Echos.
Virgin Active attracts private equity attention
Private equity investors are in talks with Sir Richard Branson over the sale of health and fitness chain Virgin Active, according to reports.
Yellow&Blue et al. inject €4.5m in Tri-O-Gen
Yellow&Blue Investment Management has led a €4.5m funding round for Dutch energy production specialist Tri-O-Gen.
Graphite Capital buys Teaching Personnel from RJD Partners
Graphite Capital has backed the £45m secondary buyout of teacher recruitment specialist Teaching Personnel from RJD Partners.
Longbow leads £1.7m Ambicare funding
Longbow Capital has led a £1.7m funding round in medical devices firm Ambicare Health.
The Carlyle Group acquires Companeo
The Carlyle Group will acquire a majority stake in B2B online lead generator Companeo SA.
Activa Capital to buy Selpro Sélection Professionnelle
Activa Capital has agreed to acquire French HR services provider Selpro Sélection Professionnelle from Randstad.
Oséo backs Cerenis and Novasep with €10.7m
The French government's venture arm Oséo has invested €10.7m in healthcare companies Cerenis Therapeutics and Groupe Novasep.
Blackstone’s sixth fund on track with $13.5bn
Blackstone Group said it has raised $13.5bn so far for its sixth private equity fund, BCP VI. Last year, Blackstone had lowered its initial $20bn target to between $15bn-20bn.
Invest Equity completes management-buyout
Invest Equity has completed its own management-buyout, a process that started in 2004.
Qualium set to exit Exxelia
Qualium (formerly CDC Capital Investissement) is looking to sell electronics specialist Exxelia to LBO France.